WGC AMERICAS 2026
Wi-Fi Innovation:
Connecting Our Digital World
Bringing together 500+ leaders and experts from across the Wi-Fi industry alongside network operators, enterprises and cities to share knowledge, to learn, to network and do business – that’s what WGC Americas is all about.
Wireless Global Congress
Americas 2026
This two-day conference will be open to everyone and will provide ample opportunities to discover what opportunities and possibilities Wi-Fi will bring to their business; to understand the latest Wi-Fi technology developments and how they will align with other wireless technologies. Attendees will learn about technical standards, real-life trials and deployments, best practices, and industry guidelines.
The conference will complement our two-day Members Working Sessions and will provide ample opportunities to meet leaders from the Wireless Broadband Alliance membership, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, BT, and many more who will lead the technical programs within the WBA.
May 18-19 – WGC Americas Open Conference – Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
May 20-21 – WBA Members Working Sessions – The Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
If you are interested in Speaking, Sponsoring or Exhibiting, Register your interest or contact us.
Event Partners
Americas 2026 Sponsors
Event Partners
Wi-Fi Sponsor
Event Partners
Co-Host
OpenRoaming Broker
Get your tickets now!
WGC Americas will take place May 18-21, 2026. The event begins with a two-day Open Conference on May 18-19, open to everyone interested in the Wi-Fi industry, followed by two days of Members-Only Working Sessions on May 20th and 21st exclusively for WBA members.
Ticket options include WBA Member Passes, which provide access to both the Members-Only Working Sessions and the Open Conference, and General Passes, which provide access to the Open Conference only. Register now to secure your place, connect with industry leaders, and explore the latest Wi-Fi innovations shaping the industry in 2026 and beyond.
Early registration is now open — secure the best available rates.
Register early to take advantage of discounted pricing, with passes starting from $549.
Event Partners
WGC Americas 2026 Agenda
Wi-Fi Innovation: Connecting our Digital World
May 18–19 WGC Americas – Open to all industry players
May 20–21 – Wireless Broadband Alliance – Members Only Working Sessions
Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting Our Digital World
9:15 AM
WGC Welcome and CEO Introduction
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
9:30 AM
Connecting Citizens in Chicago
Derek Underwood, Regional VP Americas, Cambium
Dwayne Douglas, CEO, Quilt
9:45 AM
Developing a Resilient Infrastructure with Mission Critical and Emergency Services
Mark Grayson, Cisco Fellow, Cisco
10:30 AM
Connected Communities Forum: Smart Wireless Infrastructure as the Catalyst for Urban Transformation
Vincent DePalo, CEO, The Telecom Company
Derek Underwood, Regional VP Americas, Cambium
Dwayne Douglas, CEO, Quilt
11:00 AM
JOINT COFFEE & NETWORKING
Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
11:30 AM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Namaseevayum, VP Industry Engagement, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:35 AM
Fireside Chat: Scaling Secure Wi Fi Across Hotel Properties: Identity, Policy, and the Path to Operational Excellence
Marc Charney, Senior Principal Consulting Engineer, HPE
Rodney Linville, Head of IT Infrastructure, Nobu Hotels
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality Group
11:55 AM
Role of Wi-Fi for Itau - Brazil's Largest Retail Bank
Diego Turi Oliveira, Itau Unibanco
12:10 PM
From Managed Wi-Fi to Continuous Compliance: Turning Networks into Operational Systems
Diwakar Kasibhotla, CTO, Eleven Software
12:30 PM
PANEL: Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality
Mark Grayson, Cisco Fellow, Cisco
1:15 PM
Lunch & Networking
Enterprise Networks: Open, Secure and Automated
2:10 PM
Moderator Introduction
Pedro Mouta, Senior Progam Manager, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:15 PM
Enhancing the Guest Experience Inflight
Chip LaCorte, Head of Distribution Strategy and Strategic Partnerships, AT&T
2:30 PM
Self-Driving Enterprise Networks are Real and Here
Mittal Parekh, Senior Director, Product and Solutions Marketing, HPE
2:50 PM
The Security Layer Wi-Fi Never Had
Taylor Swanson, Advisor, IronWifi
3:10 PM
PANEL: Connecting the fabric and architecture for Enterprise Technology Innovation 2030
Vaseem Kazia, Silicon Labs
Bradley Kalgovas, Senior Manager, Detecon
Tracey Holmquist, Director of Sales Engineering, Campus & Branch, HPE
3:40 PM
Wi-Fi Halow - Real World Delivery, Real World Performance
Paul Lai, Founder & CEO, AsiaRF
3:55 PM
Coffee & Networking
Innovation Forum: Visioning the Future
4:30 PM
CTO Welcome and Introduction to Innovation Forum
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:35 PM
Operator Address: AI & Autonomous Networks
Dr Jennifer Yates, Assistant Vice President - Inventive Science, Network and Service Automation, AT&T
4:50 PM
Analyst Address: Wireless Trends and Impacts for the Wi-Fi Industry
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
5:10 PM
PANEL: Innovation Forum by CTO Group Interactive Industry Roundtable/Q&A – Audience Participation Invited
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
Dr Necati Canpolat, Snr Staff Wireless Systems Architect, Intel Corp
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
Moderator: Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
6:00 PM
End of Day 1
WGC Americas and Network X Americas
Joint Keynotes
8:45 AM
Informa Welcoming Address
Informa
8:50 AM
Chair's Welcome Address
Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading
9:00 AM
Building America’s Future: A Service Provider’s Network Evolution Strategy
Yigal Elbaz, SVP – Technology & Network Services, Network CTO, AT&T
9:15 AM
NTIA Address
Tricia J. Paoletta, Senior Advisor for Spectrum, NTIA
9:30 AM
Convergence in Action – Competing, Scaling and Winning in the AI-Driven Connectivity Market
Keynote Panel Discussion
Dr Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
Tim Fell, VP, Network Technology & Services DevOps, Telus
Josh Goodell, VP, Broadband and Converged Product Development, AT&T
Moderator: Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst, GTM Telecom Insights and Advisory, Omdia
10:00 AM
WBA Keynote - OpenRoaming: The Global Standard for Seamless Connectivity
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
10:15 AM
Technology Evolution for Multi-Purpose Networks
Elad Nafshi, Chief Network Officer and EVP, Comcast
10:30 AM
PANEL: AI-Powered Enterprise: Scaling B2B Services in the Age of AI
Lamont Copeland, Senior Director - Federal Solutions Architecture, Verizon Business Group, Verizon Business
Shawn Hakl, SVP, Business Product & Pricing, AT&T
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
Moderator: Karim Taga, Managing Partner and Global Head Functional Practises, Arthur D Little
11:00 AM
Coffee & Networking
Executive Plenary
Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting our Digital World
11:30 AM
CEO Welcome to WGC Americas
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:40 AM
The Next Era of Wireless: Convergence at Global Scale
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
12:00 PM
State of Wireless 2026: What It Means for Your Network
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
12:20 PM
Inside the Experience Economy: How Software Is Redefining Home Wi-Fi
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
12:40 PM
Fireside Chat: Value Acceleration of IoT Connectivity with Edge AI
Irvind Ghai, Vice President, Silicon Labs
Moderator: Tiago Rodrigues, CEO – Wireless Broadband Alliance
1:00 PM
LUNCH & NETWORKING
Operator Perspectives for Smarter Homes and Smarter Networks
2:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Andrews, Board Advisor and NED, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:05 PM
Universal Access Management NetExperience: Your Competitive Edge in Modern Wi-Fi
Jack Raynor, President, NetExperience
2:25 PM
A Neutral Exchange for Wi-Fi Offload
Mark Carter, Chief Operating Officer, Uplink
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:40 PM
Delivering Standards for WI-Fi 8 and 9 and Impacts for Tomorrow's Consumers
Robert Stacey, IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair, IEEE
2:55 PM
PANEL: What does Smarter Homes and Smarter MDU Networks Mean in 2026
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
David Hand, Operations Manager, Granite Communications
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
Jack Raynor, President, NetExperience
Moderator: George Hechtman, Principal, Hechtman Ventures
3:40 PM
Coffee & Networking
Wireless Technology Innovation and Standards 2030
4:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:05 PM
Connectivity's Next Decade Depends on 6 GHz Wi-Fi®
Jeff Platon, VP of Marketing, WiFi Alliance
4:20 PM
Maximizing 6 GHz Standard Power: Intelligence-Driven Wi-Fi for Real-World Deployment
Vijay Venkateswaran, Strategy and Business Development Executive, C3Spectra Inc.
Derek Ferro, Director of Engineering, Sercomm
4:40 PM
Operator Perspectives on Wi-Fi Roaming Quality Metrics
Shawn Bausman, Associate Director – Inbuilding Solutions, AT&T
4:55 PM
Certified Wi-Fi Performance
Troy Martin, Director Product Marketing, Ookla
5:05 PM
Fireside Chat: Impacts and Importance of Wi-Fi Design Standards to Delivering Next Gen Performance
Troy Martin, Director Product Marketing, Ookla
Brad Howell, Senior Sales Engineer, Wyebot
Rie Morgan, CEO, NC Expert
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
5:25 PM
PANEL: Wireless Technologies - Unlocking new revenue streams for Service Providers and Enterprises
Akshay Agarwal, Director, Tech Partnerships, Google
JR Wilson, Chief of Networks & Spectrum, AST SpaceMobile
Joost Rietman, Key Account Manager, Deutsche Telekom
Derek Underwood, Regional VP Americas, Cambium Networks
6:05 PM
Event Close - Closing Remarks
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
6:00 PM
WGC AND NETWORK X AMERICAS NETWORKING DRINKS AND CANAPES 6-7pm - Networking Drinks on the Exhibition Show Floor 7pm - Networking Drinks and Snacks - Bar Louis
8:15 AM
Welcome Note & PMO Updates
WBA PMO
9:00 AM
WBA Board Applications
AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Reliance JIO, Turk Telekom
9:40 AM
PMO Recognition Awards
WBA PMO
10:10 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:30 AM
Operator Managed Wi-Fi
Airties, Nokia, PRPL, QA Cafe
11:10 AM
Mission Critical & Emergency Services
Cisco
11:50 AM
5G & Wi-Fi Convergence
Cisco, CableLabs, AT&T
12:30 PM
Lunch Time
1:40 PM
MDU Smart Living
HVD, Silicon Labs, PRPL, Pavlov Media
2:30 PM
RADIUS Compliance
JISC, InkBridge Networks
3:10 PM
Testing & Interoperability WG
Single Digits, AT&T, HPE, Ruckus Networks
3:50 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:10 PM
Enterprise Security for P5G Networks
Cisco, HPE
4:40 PM
Wi-Fi Design Standard
Ookla, NC-Expert, The Home Depot
5:20 PM
E2E Wi-Fi QoS
Airties, CableLabs, Intel, Meta
6:00 PM
Closing of Working Sessions DAY 1
WBA PMO
7:00 PM
Members Dinner
8:15 AM
Policy & Regulatory Affairs WG
Cisco
8:50 AM
AIML for Wi-Fi
Intel, Airties, Cisco, HPE
9:20 AM
Wi-Fi 8 – Ultra-High Reliability
Intel, CableLabs, Cisco
10:00 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:20 AM
WBA OpenRoaming Technical Standards
Cisco, Intel, IronWiFi
11:40 AM
Roaming Work Group
AT&T, Boldyn Networks, Single Digits
11:30 AM
DLT for Roaming
Single Digits, Helium, IronWiFi, Roam, Cisco
12:00 PM
Access Network Metrics + Demo
CableLabs, Helium, Ruckus Networks, Single Digits
1:00 PM
Lunch Time
2:10 PM
6G & Wi-Fi Requirements
Turk Telekom, BT, Cisco
3:00 PM
Wi-Fi HaLow for IoT Applications
Morse Micro, Nexcomm, Newracom
3:50 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:10 PM
Prioritizing Wi-Fi Calling
Charter, Boingo Wireless, CableLabs
4:50 PM
Post Quantum Cybersecurity
NC-Expert, Boingo, HPE, AT&T
5:30 PM
Closing of Working Sessions Dallas 2026
Wireless Broadband Alliance
For the full agenda of each day, please see below:
Venue: Whitacre Tower, 208 South Akard Street,
Dallas, Texas, USA
Venue: Dallas Marriott Downtown, 650 North Pearl Street,
Dallas, Texas, USA
Registration & Passes
General Passes provided access to WGC Americas on May 21–22, which featured the main Executive Plenary and showcases on Wi-Fi technology and industry verticals. These included the Enterprise Connectivity Forum, In-Home and Operator Session, Connected Communities Forum, and the Innovation Forum. Pass holders also had access to the Exhibition area and the Networking Drinks reception.
WBA Members passes, exclusively for confirmed WBA Members, granted access to the above, as well as Members Working Sessions on May 19–20 and the OpenRoaming Plugfest.
It was great seeing you all in Dallas. If you’re interested in speaking or sponsorship opportunities for WBA’s other 2025 events, please contact WBA’s Events team.
Event Venue
Venues
Key Themes and Topics